Cuba

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Capital city: La Havanna.
Population: 11,177,743.
Demographics:
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65% of Cubans are light-skinned.
Religion: traditionaly Roman Catholic.
Industry: Imports include Food, Petroleum, Chemicals, Equipment & Machinery. Exports Include Sugar, Tobacco, Coffee, Nickel, Citrus, Fish, and Medical products.
Monetary System: The monetary system of Cuba is a dual-value decimal based system, with the primary unit of Cuban money being the Peso.
Geography
Cuba is surronded by the carribean sea. Cubas total land mass is 42,000 sq. miles. It has 2,321 miles around the coastline. Cuba is located 50 miles west of haiti. It is also 90 miles south of florida. The land is mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the south. Cuba has negligible inland water area. The largest natural water mirror is Laguna de Leche. The largest mountain is the Pico Turquino. The largest city is the la Havanna and the oldest city is Baracoa. Because of there geography there economy is advantaged, they are able to trade with many countries because they are an island. Cuba has a temperate climate except for in the mountains. The average minnimium climate is 21 degrees C. The high is 27 degrees C. Also the rainy season is from May to October.


History
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Before Cuba was colonized by Christopher Colombus, it was ruled by a people called the Guanajatabey. They inhabited the island for centuries and they are the first known people of the islands. But they were driven out by 2 waves of immigrants the Taino and Ciboney. These peoples are sometimes referred to as the neo-Taíno nations. They were believed to be from the other southern carribean islands. After that Christopher Columbus landed on the island during his first voyage of discovery on 28 October 1492. By this time Ciboney and Taino tribes lived practically in peace, with no major enemies to contend with.
Diego Velázquez, one of the richest Spaniards in the new world, assumed the role of conqueror of Cuba. He established the first permanent settlement on the island in Baracoa, from which he launched the Spanish conquest of Cuba. Cuba's desire for independence from the Spanish empire existed for almost 100 years before Carlos Manuel issued the famed that started Cuba's first formal war against Spain. Efforts to obtain legal autonomy had been explored, and drastically failed. The Grito de Yaraonly hope was in complete separation. The Ten Year War (1868-1878) ended in a stalemate, but one man stood against the compromise and won the hearts and minds of Cubans throughout the island. Antonia Maceo became the symbol of a Cuban identity that included the idea of racial equality and the end of slavery. Rebellion always emphasized an anti-racist agenda, and this became part of the Cuban identity that eventually went to war against Spain.
In 1890 Jose Marti started a group called the Cuban revolutionary party and this started the third and final war effort. It started in 1895 and by the end cuba obtained it's independence from spain, which gave control to the united states.


Current Government
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Type: communist state; current government assumed power by force on January 1, 1959.
Independence: May 20, 1902.
Political party: Cuban Communist Party this the only party allowed in Cuba.
Culture
The music of Cuba, including the instruments and the dances, is mostly of European and African origin. As far as sports go they love baseball. It was mostly made popular by Fidel Castro. They also enjoy boxing, basketball, and running track and field. Soccer is not a major sport there though unlike many of the other closely related Spanish speaking countries. Cuba is traditionally a Catholic country. In some instances Catholicism is much modified and influenced through syncretism.

Tourism
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Cuba attracts over 2 million people a year, and is one of the main sources of revenue for the island. With its favorable climate, beaches, colonial architecture and distinct cultural history. You could visit the beach areas north of holguin and Havana which are very nice. Until 1997, contacts between tourists and Cubans were outlawed by the Communist government in place. But as a result of there failing trade partner they had to let people visit to help there economy.

Current events

President Hugo Chavez (Venezuela) has never been one to share decision-making authority. Now, the voluble socialist strongman and acerbic critic of the U.S. may have no choice but to designate a successor. His announcement that he will go to Cuba to remove a growth that he says is likely malignant could not come at a worse moment for the leader who is working to transform Venezuela with what he calls 21st century socialism.

The Jamaican team got their preparation for their upcoming 2014 World Cup Qualifying campaign off to a good start by defeating Cuba 1-0 in the first-match of their two-game friendly internationals at the National Stadium tonight.










Sources:
online:
http://historyofcuba.com/history/havana/early.htm
http://www.everyculture.com/
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107443.html
http://www.gocuba.ca/client/home/index.php
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